Next-generation consumer audio-visual cables, e.g., High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI), Digital Visual Interface (DVI), and DisplayPort will operate at data rates greater than 10 Gigabytes per seconds (Gb/s). This presents an ideal transition point for using optical fiber for the data channels. Optical fiber is a low-loss medium capable of high data rates, longer transmission distances, and lower power consumption (for extremely high speeds) in contrast with copper wire solutions. However, consumer active optical HDMI cables have been unidirectional source to sink/display. As such, the ends of the cables are not interchangeable.
Thus, a bidirectional data communications cable capable of transmitting high speed data, such as HDMI, DVI, and DisplayPort multimedia data and control signaling, is disclosed herein.